Script Sales

One of the more notable developments this year so far: the musical “Damn Yankees” is set for a remake, with Jim Carrey and Jake Gyllenhaall confirmed as leads. As anticipated, “Friday the 13th” will see a second incarnation, and for those interested in further reliving the 80s, “The Neverending Story” has been given the green light, though no writer is attached as of yet. Other selected sales include: --The drama/comedy “Downsizing,” with Reese Witherspoon, Sasha Baron Cohen, and Paul Giamatti to star. --“Rape: A Love Story,” based on the Joyce Carol Oates novella. Abigail Breslin, Samuel L. Jackson, and Maria Bello attached. 3 Arts Entertainment to produce. --The DC Comics story “Suicide Squad” --“Little Fockers,” the third installment of the Stiller/DeNiro comedy series. And as Hollywood has been infected with the remake bug, expect to see a fresh, new, “improved” version of the Schwarzenegger classic “Total Recall.”

Adaptations (and an adaptation of an adaptation) continue to share the spotlight with a spattering of comedies, science fiction, crime dramas, and family scripts. Notable sales include: --“Cowboy Bebop,” based on the popular Japanese anime series. Keanu Reeves set to star. --A Cher and Jonny Knoxville (not a typo) project, “The Drop-Out” --A Warner Bros. adaptation of the animated series “Tom and Jerry” --“The A Team,” a polish of a script and project first announced in 2001. --The sequel to “The Chronicles of Narnia,” “Voyage of the Dawn Treader” --“Lowriders,” based on a Brian Grazer concept. Feeling as though “Tomb Raider” deserves another go-around, the popular comic (and Angelina Jolie film) will get a re-imagining as well. No screenwriter or director attached as of yet.